Endicott
"You would look upon them and wonder how can such beauty be? You would gaze upon them and be filled with peace. But, I tell you this now. They are the greatest danger our people have ever faced. They are the Husnock. And they must be destroyed." -General Endicott Endicott was a General and Supreme Commander of the Army during the years of the War. He was instrumental in persuading the Forum to declare war on the Husnock and thereafter led the combined forces of the Army and Navy in what was later described as a genocidal campaign against the Husnock. After the War, the Forum condemned his actions and recommended Endicott be tried as a war criminal. He was instead allowed to retire with full pension rather than face a tribunal. Early Life and Family Endicott was born in Season 69, the son of Jacob. Endicott would later father his own son - Anthony, who rose to become an Admiral in the Service. After attending the Service Academy, Endicott was commissioned a Lieutenant in the Army in Season 75. His first assignment was as Company Officer of an infantry unit where he first met General Oran. In Season 78, Oran promoted Endicott to Captain and appointed him as an aide. Over the next several years, Oran would serve as a mentor to Endicott and it is believed that during this time Endicott joined the Order. In Season 81, Endicott began performing duties onboard joint Army-Navy space vessels. In Season 85 he was promoted to Major and assigned as Executive Officer of vessel ST-1703. The Clearview Campaigns Between Seasons 86 and 88, Endicott was a key officer in the implementation of the Clearview Campaigns. Many who knew Endicott in those days associated his later harsh demeanor and brutal tactics with the methods he had learned during these early military engagements. In Season 89, due in large part to his successes in the campaigns, Endicott was promoted to Colonel and given command of his space vessel, the ST-1703 which would later be famously known as the SS Husnock. Early contact with the Husnock It is believed that Endicott first learned of the Husnock race in Season 89 during his first year commanding the Standard Transport Class Vessel ST-1703 (later re-christened the SS Husnock). When the first Husnock transmissions were detected on the Homeworld in Season 90, Endicott advocated responding with military force. This recommendation would ultimately lead to the outbreak of the War. Service during the War Main Article: 'War''' In the fall of Season 90, Endicott was promoted to General and authorized by the Forum to eliminate the perceived Husnock threat to the Homeworld. Endicott's authority, as granted under Army Executive Order 105, provided for the formation of the Strike Force against the Husnock which Endicott then led into Husnock territory. Arriving at the planet Schooler on 13 Standard Date 11 Season 90, Endicott engaged in the Battle of First Strike in which the Husnock of Schooler were annihilated except for a few small vessels which managed to escape the star system. Endicott then returned to the Homeworld as a "hero", yet his fame was short lived. In the following spring of Season 91, a second branch of the Husnock attacked and destroyed a squadron of Army vessels near Schooler, leading Endicott to order a renewed assault against the Husnock threat. After Endicott advised the Forum that the Homeworld was in immediate danger of attack, he was promoted to Supreme Commander of the Army and granted total control over both the Army and Navy. Over the next several months, Endicott greatly expanded the space forces of the Army in preparation for an all out assault to destroy the Husnock. On 20 Standard 4 Season 92, Endicott ordered the Army Fleet to advance towards Rohrbaugh, the home planet of the Second Husnock. In what became known as the Battle of Second Strike, Army forces under General Endicott attacked a combined Husnock fleet of over one thousand Husnock warships. The battle was a tactical success for Endicott, but he was forced to withdraw due to heavy lossess before declaring total victory. The remainder of Season 92 was uneventful as both Army and Husnock forces established defensive perimeters with only minor skirmishes. Defeat and Downfall At the start of Season 93, as Endicott prepared for a renewed offensive against the Husnock, reconnaissance reports indicated that the Second Husnock had withdrawn from their defensive lines and, even stranger, that their home planet now appeared to be deserted. On 5 Standard Date 6 Season 93, after six months of no contact with the Husnock, Army forces detected a massive Husnock fleet moving towards the Homeworld. Endicott ordered an emergency mobilization of all Army and Navy forces to assault and destroy the advancing Husnock. In an engagement known as the Battle of the Homeworld, the entire Army fleet was wiped out by Husnock forces. The reserve formations of the Navy Fleet fared little better, and suffered over ninety percent losses. The Husnock vessels, now unopposed, proceeded to bombard the Homeworld directly causing massive devastation and loss of life. At a point where it seemed the Husnock would prevail, the Husnock vessels then turned from the Core Systems and retreated. A powerful radio transmission was then sent to the Capitol City which read: :"We want nothing more to do with you"'' After his defeat at the Battle of the Homeworld, Endicott was called before the Chairman of the Forum to answer for his failure. Claiming treachery within the Army ranks, Endicott was relieved of all duties and a special commission appointed to investigate the conduct of the war against the Husnock. Retirement After a three month investigation, the Special Commission for the Conduct of the War against the Husnock found that Endicott had misled the Forum into starting the war and had done so in a personal effort to gain total power over both the Army and Navy, as well as the government of the Homeworld itself. On special recommendation from the Chief of Commission Dalton, a recommendation was made that Endicott simply be retired rather than tried as a war criminal. By direction of Forum Resolution 561, Endicott was retired and the Army was disbanded. The Act for the Creation of the Service then established a new military arm of the Homeworld to be known as the Service. Later Life In Season 94, Endicott retired to a small coastal city on the shores of Central Lake where he quickly faded into obscurity. He was allowed to retain his rank and pension and was reported to be seen from time to time continuing to wear his Army uniform with Supreme Commander insignia. In Season 106, at the conclusion the Mission, Endicott was invited to Capitol City to witness the signing of the Treaty of Alliance with Husnock. Endicott attended the ceremony in full uniform; just prior to the ceremony, he met his son Anthony onboard the SS Husnock where he offered congratulations for the success of the Mission but also a warning to never trust the Husnock. Endicott then returned to his home on Central Lake to continue a life of obscurity and seclusion. Summary of Career Endicott served in the Army from Season 75 until his forced retirement in Season 93 following defeat in the War. Dates of Rank * Lieutenant: Season 75 * Captain: Season 78 * Major: Season 85 * Colonel: Season 89 * General: Season 90 * General and Supreme Commander of the Army: Season 92 Significant Assignments * Company Officer, Infantry Unit 101: Season 75-78 * Aide and Adjutant to General Oran: Season 78-81 * Navigator, ST-980: Season 81-83 * Weapons Officer, ST-1407: Season 83-85 * Executive Officer, ST-1703: Season 85-89 * Commanding Officer, ST-1703: Season 89-90 * Commander, Strike Force against the Husnock: Season 90-91 * Commander, Combined Army Fleet: Season 91-92 * Supreme Commander of the Army: Season 92-93 Awards and Decorations * Medal of Diligent Merit * Medal of Commendation * Medal of Achievement * Army Expeditionary Medal * Army Campaign Medal * Husnock Service Medal * Space Command Ribbon * Marksmanship Ribbon Category:Military Officers Category:Army Officers